Get ready to explore the Enchanted Forest with Anna and Olaf from this enchanted treehouse base. Lieutenant Destin Mattias will be watching for any danger.
The front of the box shows the enchanted treehouse nestled in a clearing within the enchanted forest. The four element gate sits on a cliff in the distance. There is an aspen tree overlay along the right side, and the aspen bark pattern continues across the snowy swoosh along the bottom. Like the other boxes in this series, the Disney Frozen II logo is on the bottom left with an illustration of Anna and Elsa from the movie at the bottom right.
The back of the box shows the back of the treehouse. The background is more of the aspen bark pattern, with a pastel enchanted forest behind it on the right side. Inset images of play scenes are bordered with a Nordic key pattern.
The Disney Frozen II logo is on the bottom again, with Anna and Elsa in their lego minidoll form taking the same pose as the animated versions do on the front of the box.
The top side of the box shows Anna, Mattias, Olaf, and two bunnies that are included in this set. Anna is also used at the 1:1 part ratio illustration in another Nordic bordered inset.
Manufacturing and distribution information are also included. The bottom of the box contains the LEGO and Disney logos along with trademark and recycling information.
The box end has the set name in French and Spanish, the LEGO Life logo, and a small image of the set. This is the same image from the front of the box and is inset with the Nordic border used throughout the box.
The other end of the box has the LEGO and Disney logos and a choking hazard warning. The aspen bark pattern is continued on all edges of the box.
Inside the box, we find three bags of parts, a bag with the instructions, two sticker sheets, and a vinyl roof panel. There is also an 8 x 16 plate in lavender and a medium lavender zipline (flexible hose 22L with 2 connector ends). The medium lavender zipline first appeared in 2017 in Set 41237 Batgirl Secret Bunker, but this is the first appearance in a Disney set. It appears again in 2020 in Set 43182 Mulan's Training Grounds.
First thing to open is the instructions.
I'm happy to see the instructions and stickers in a plastic bag. While I appreciate LEGO cutting back on the number of single use plastic bags in its packaging, it's nice when the instructions and stickers don't get curled up in the box. I'm guessing that the decision to bag these items was in part to make sure the vinyl sheet for the treehouse roof didn't get bent or because of the number of flat inserts. Whatever the reason, I appreciate it.
There are two sticker sheets; one with a reflective, sparkly background.
The instruction book is perfect bound. It features the LEGO Life logo and the QR code to access the instructions on the LEGO Building Instructions app on the lower right corner.
Bag one has the parts for building Anna and Olaf; we'll take a closer look at them after we look at the rest of the parts. The little box has Anna's cloak.
Lots of great parts in this set. In bag one, we get the new 3 x 3 x 5 quarter cylinder with 2 arch tops in reddish brown. It is also used in set 41166 Elsa's Wagon Adventure. It's an odd piece, but really nice for creating interior spaces for the treehouse. I'm interested to see how it will be used outside of treehouse building.
The lavender 8 x 8 plate with rounded end is a new color for the Frozen II series and also gets used in Set 41166 Elsa's Wagon Adventure.
Bag one also has one 6 x 5 plant leaf in bright light orange which first appeared earlier in 2019 in the Ideas Set 21318 Tree House (I still don't have that set, and really want it). It shows up several of the Frozen II sets, and we will be getting more in this set as the build progresses (yay!)
And while the dark turquoise 2 x 4 tile is not new or particularly rare, I personally don't have many and appreciate getting another one.
The bag of small parts from Bag 1 doesn't have any new parts, but there are a couple that stand out for me personally.
The 1 x 1 round plant plate with 3 Leaves in orange, which first appeared in several of the LEGO Movie 2 sets, also appears in more of the Frozen II sets.
The 4 x 3 magenta plant leaf was used a lot in the Elves sets, and it's nice to see it reappearing here. It's good to get more fall colored leaves and plants, and I like the bright fantasy colors for creating something with a little more magic.
The 1 x 1 modified brick with stud on 1 side in dark orange is not rare, but hasn't appeared in Disney sets previously. I always like seeing these useful pieces in colors other than grey and brown.
We also get two baby bunnies in medium Nougat. I love Disney/Friends style animals, and while I have lots of bunnies, most of mine are white. Can you really have too many baby bunnies? I mean, they are bunnies, how can there not be a lot of them?
Let's take a closer look at Anna and Olaf.
Both Anna and Olaf get a new look for the Frozen II series. Anna is new from head to toe, with a new hair style, face, torso, and hip/legs. She is wearing her hair long with a braid wrapped around the back. The black dress with copper & dark orange trim and sash is beautiful. The cloak is two sided with magenta on the inside and dark purple on the outside. There is no print on the back of the figure. This version of Anna also appears in set 41165 Anna's Canoe Expedition.
This new design for Olaf also appears in Sets 40361 Olaf's Traveling Sleigh and 41165 Anna's Canoe Expedition. As I mentioned in my previous review, I like that he now gets mini doll hands so he can hold things. The metallic blue snowflake print is charming. I think this is a good replacement for the brick built Olaf we had in previous sets and fits better with the mini dolls.
Time to start building.
First up is a charming little side build for our two bunnies. This simple little build feels more like a stump than a full tree, but it provides a nice little home for the bunnies, and will connect to the treehouse later in the build.
Here's a couple more views of the bunny home:
Next we start work on the treehouse.
The rest of bag one builds the ground floor of the treehouse, and some of the space around it.
In the front of the treehouse there is a sleeping mat next to a fire pit for roasting a freshly caught fish dinner. Stickers are used for both the blanket and pillow on the bedroll. There is also a ladder up to a storage barrel for apples.
Moving around to the side of the tree house, you can see how the dark brown elephant tail/trunk pieces are used to give more texture to the tree, like roots diving down into the ground.
I really like the addition of Bruni, the fire spirit salamander. While I would have loved to see him as an animal figure, the sticker is a nice representation.
Continuing our tour around the base of the treehouse, we see another sleeping area. This time tucked into the tree and raised up from the ground. This space was created with two of the new 3 x 3 x 5 quarter cylinder with 2 arch tops. A sticker is again used for the blanket, but the pillow is left plain. There is also a little table with a lantern.
Finishing our trip around the base, we can see the first of the sparkly stickers used on the tree to represent Gale blowing around and rustling the leaves.
That brings us to bag two.
More nice treehouse pieces in bag two as well as a mini doll of Lieutenant Destin Mattias (we'll take a closer look at him below). It's good to get more of the new 3 x 3 x 5 quarter cylinder with 2 arch tops in reddish brown, and more 6 x 5 plant leaves in bright light orange.
The large half barrel with axle hole is not a rare piece, but only appears in lavender in three sets. In addition to this set, it first appeared in set 41335 Mia's Tree House (2018), and shows up again in Set 41252 Poppy's Hot Air Balloon Adventure (2020).
Also of note are the 6 x 5 magenta plant leaves. These were used a lot in the Elves sets, and it's nice to get more here to match the smaller leaf from bag one.
The inner bag of small parts doesn't have anything new, but includes the hair piece for Lieutenant Mattias. This piece has been used many times before, but let's see how it looks on the Lieutenant.
Lieutenant Mattias is unique to this set. The face is good, and I like the beard. He is wearing a sand green uniform with gold buttons. Printing on the front and back of the torso is used to represent his epaulettes. The belt is printed all the way around the torso and features an Arendelle flower on the buckle. The mini doll skirt works well to convey the length of his uniform coat. Light blueish grey legs and black boots complete his uniform. We finish off by giving him a sword.
It's can be difficult to translate a character like Lieutenant Mattias into a mini doll, but I think this works well.
Back to building our treehouse.
All of the parts in bag two are used to finish building the treehouse structure. Decorating the platform will happen with bag three. At the front of the treehouse, we add leaves to shade the camp fire at the base of the tree. The Arendelle banner hanging from the upper railing declare this as the camp for Arendelle's lost troops rather than a Northuldran site. As a military encampment, a watch post is created at the top of the tree branches.
As we move around the treehouse, you can how the vinyl sheet is attached to create a canopy over the upper treehouse area. While this is an effective choice to convey a canopy roof rather than something more substantial, I don't really like it. The colors and Arendelle logo are very nice, but the fit is a little off. I had to stretch the plastic a little to get it over the Mixel ball joints that hold it in place, and mine doesn't seem to fit correctly next to the watchtower part of the tree. It feels like there was a very slight error in how the piece was cut and it affects the overall fit.
Continuing around to the back the treehouse, there is a niche above the sleeping area for a treasure chest. Above that is a platform which will get detailed in bag three. It provides a nice play space which is accessible by ladder.
Finishing our tour around the treehouse, you can see the other side of the canopy. This side fits much better as there is nothing up against either side of the vinyl sheet.
More stickers are used on both big tree pieces to continue the look of Gale playing around with the leaves. You don't have to be exact in your placement with these stickers to have them look good.
One more bag to build.
Bag three has two bags of smaller piece, and we get more leaves! New, and thus far exclusive, for this set are the white and dark blueish grey striped aspen tree pieces (dinosaur tail/neck middle section with pin). This is a really nice print, and I'm surprised to see that it wasn't used again for the Creator Expert Set 10270 Bookshop (2020).
Nothing new in the two inner bags, so let's get back to building.
Bag three finishes the treehouse by adding a small table and chair to the platform area. We also add a telescope up on the watch platform.
Then we add a waterfall and aspen sapling to the side of the treehouse. A sticker is used at the bottom of the trans-light blue 3 x 4 x 6 curved panel to give some froth to the waterfall. A fish is jumping behind the screen of water, and a fishing pole is at hand to catch more dinner.
Moving around the side of the waterfall, we get a better look at the new aspen piece used for little sapling. It's a simple but effective build for a small tree, and the stripes look good (though my research indicates this is probably a birch tree instead of an aspen. Go look up the difference. It's fun what you can learn when LEGO piques your curiosity.)
Around the back, we can see the platform detail better. Also, a big rock piece is used to create the backdrop of the falls. It also creates a nice little cave.
Once the water fall is complete, we attach the treehouse to the bunny home with a zipline. This gives us a quick way down to the forest floor.
Here's the completed treehouse and zipline from the back.
But we still have one more side build to finish.
Marking the entrance to the enchanted forest, stand four pillars of stone each marked with one of the four elements. The stickers are necessary for setting up this area. The use of the A-shaped wedge plates works well to give this a more natural, roundish feel. We also use the second aspen tree and a crystal to give it a little landscaping.
Around the back, the standing stones are rather plain, but they still make an nice gateway to the enchanted forest.
Here are the spare parts from all three bags. The transparent detail pieces are always nice, and I really like that newish flame piece.
The Enchanted Treehouse is complete, and we can start playing.
But first a quick look at the back of the completed build.
Olaf explores the standing stones, while Anna checks in on the bunnies. But what is Lieutenant Mattias doing?
The quickest way to check in with Anna is to take the zipline. While this looks like a fun play feature, it is not easy to get a character to balance on the zipline. It's a pretty short ride and they usually fall off before they get started. Still, it'a a fun idea.
Back in the treehouse, Lieutenant Mattias keeps watch high in the tree, while Anna looks out from the balcony.
Anna calls down to Olaf.
At the end of a long day exploring, Anna retires for the night while Lieutenant Mattias gets some dinner.
I love treehouses and Disney princesses, so I was excited about this set from its announcement. Then I watched the movie, and *Spoiler* there is no treehouse in the movie. What?!? So why make a treehouse for the Frozen II sets?
The Enchanted Treehouse is a fun playset, and it does a nice job of representing a variety of terrain - standing stones, forest, waterfall, and mountain cave - in a compact way. It has lots of little details that create small areas for playing out a variety of stories and expanding the forest with your imagination.
Lieutenant Mattias is a nice addition to the mini dolls, and I can see him being useful for an Arendelle MOC. I personally would like to have a mini doll version of Yelana, the leader of the Northuldra, to play opposite the Lieutenant. I understand the limits of how many figures can be included and still hit the targeted price point/piece count. If I had to pick one of the two characters, I think Lieutenant Mattias was a good choice, but I can still wish there was a Northuldra themed set in this series that included Yelana.
If you like building trees, this set will add a few more fall colored leaves to your collection. The magenta and bright light orange may not be the most realistic fall colors, but they work well together. And if you like building treehouses, this set give you some nice new pieces to use for creating rooms within the tree.
Overall, I really enjoyed building it and could see it becoming part of a larger Frozen II display.
Happy building!
~prrbrix
Disclaimer:
This set was purchased by me, and was NOT provided by The LEGO Group.
Opinions provided here solely mine.
Photographs are mine and are not directed by TLG in any fashion.
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